Fast Food Talk Thread

[Bob from Omaha]

Taco Bell Bellbeefer

That was just the ground taco meat and shredded cheese on a hamburger bun, right? More like a Tex-Mex "Sloppy Joe." It was before my time, but I used to work at TB in the early 1990s and heard mention of it. Was it also called the Bellburger?

Yep, a taco on a bun. Never knew it as a bellburger, just a bellbeefer. Not sure I'd call it a tex mex sloppy joe. To me anyway it was really just a taco on a bun. As for Taco Bell's vs Taco John's, and my memory isn't what it used to be, I'd say they were the same.

[Bob from Omaha]

What menu item do you miss most that hasn't been on a fast food menu in 10+ years? What old school discontinued menu item haunts your dreams?

Taco Bell Bellbeefer &/or Taco John's Taco Burger.

Taco John's has the Taco Burger on special right now. 2 for 5 bucks or 1 taco burger and a small ole's for $5.

Greg

No kidding? There are two Taco Johns in Michigan but neither is near me. I swear I actually thought about jumping a plane to Omaha.

[Busguy2010]

What menu item do you miss most that hasn't been on a fast food menu in 10+ years? What old school discontinued menu item haunts your dreams?

Taco Bell Bellbeefer &/or Taco John's Taco Burger.

Taco John's has the Taco Burger on special right now. 2 for 5 bucks or 1 taco burger and a small ole's for $5.

Greg

I saw the Taco John's commercial, that didn't sound good to me.

As far as items that were long ago, I'd say BK A1 steakhouse burger, funnelcake sticks, and most of all, cinniminis. All went away over 10 years ago

[ChadJK]

What menu item do you miss most that hasn't been on a fast food menu in 10+ years? What old school discontinued menu item haunts your dreams?

I'm going to say Taco Bell's Wild Menu (and corresponding Wild Sauce) from the 1990s.

Also, the Pepperoni Pizza Submarino at Fazoli's. I'm not sure if it's been gone 10 years, but it was a tasty sorta French Bread Pizza.

Adding to my list...

Cinnamon & Raisin Biscuits from Hardee's. Again, not sure if that's been 10 years and I think maybe they've brought them back periodically.

The Hickory Burger at Sonic. I rarely eat at Sonic, but the Hickory Burger was my go to. I suppose it's nothing more than a bacon burger with BBQ sauce instead of ketchup, but I preferred it.

The Bone-In Fried Chicken at Culver's. It wasn't necessarily my favorite fast food fried chicken, but when I was at Culver's and tired of burgers it was my go-to.

[skinzfan23]

Taco John’s has had Taco Burgers for a long time. At least 25 years of not longer. They are more of a sloppy joe or loosemeat sandwich.

[Omaha Cowboy]

What menu item do you miss most that hasn't been on a fast food menu in 10+ years? What old school discontinued menu item haunts your dreams?

This is a good question. If you asked a month ago, I would have said Arby’s potato cakes for sure.. Also, as was previously mentioned, the Arby-Q sandwich would be something I wish they’d bring back..

One other thing I remember- Pizza Hut offered a Steak pizza back in the early 1990’s (1993 I think) and it was actually pretty fantastic. I wish they’d bring that one back for sure. For fast food, mass produced pizza, it was shockingly good..

I understand McDonald’s has brought back their steak egg and cheese bagel breakfast sandwich to the Omaha area at least. The only items I would purchase these days at McDonald’s are their breakfast items..and this one tops the list. Glad it was brought back.. Don’t know for how long though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[OmahaRedWing]

Here's mine. The Meximelt from Taco Bell. It was fantastic. On the menu for a long time but it seems many don't remember it:

Meximelt

The Meximelt was a specialty menu item, created by David Vincent Taylor, previously available at Taco Bell.

It was a cross between a Fresco Soft Taco and a quesadilla. It had the flour tortilla, seasoned ground beef, and fiesta salsa of a Fresco Soft Taco but the melted three cheese blend of a quesadilla.

History
The Meximelt was one of the longest-running menu items at Taco Bell, having been around for nearly 30 years. The trademark was filed May 31, 1988, as a "tortilla for consumption on or off premises".[1] It was also one of few menu items that has not seen any update, with no variants of the Meximelt having ever been released. As of 04/06/2018 the Meximelt is no longer available on the menu. That said, there were some workarounds for ordering, as documented by this video:

https://tacobell.fandom.com/wiki/Meximelt

[ChadJK]

Here's mine. The Meximelt from Taco Bell. It was fantastic. On the menu for a long time but it seems many don't remember it:

You can recreate one. The trick is you have to order it at the drive-thru or from a human in the dining room. Taco Bell's app and their kiosks won't give you the necessary options.

Order a Cheesy Roll-up. Add meat. Add pico.

[OmahaRedWing]

Here's mine. The Meximelt from Taco Bell. It was fantastic. On the menu for a long time but it seems many don't remember it:

You can recreate one. The trick is you have to order it at the drive-thru or from a human in the dining room. Taco Bell's app and their kiosks won't give you the necessary options.

Order a Cheesy Roll-up. Add meat. Add pico.

Thanks! Will give it a shot!

[Busguy2010]

Not part of the current throwbacks conversation.

But I had Runza today solely for the fact it was not busy. I wanted to try those new saucy nugs from Wendy’s for lunch today, and apparently everybody else did too.

So I checked out Runza. Deserted, so I said what the hay, it's been at least a couple years and we were just talking about their burgers.

First off, I always did love their fries, and they came through on that. Hot, crisp, and salty. Secondly, I got the mushroom & Swiss burger. And one thing I have to say about the top three "local fast food burger joints", is although you can tell the meat quality is better, they seem to add a little too much salt. Idk if all they do is use salt for seasoning, but they all seem to be salty with not much pepper, onion, or garlic. So I guess in a way you could say they're pretty basic. Meat, cheese, LOTS of grease, and salt is all it takes to make a good burger.

Lastly what pained me most was no combo meal was going to be under $11. My total was $11.61 for the burger, fries, and drink. Seemed pretty steep considering it all fit in a bag the size of a normal paper lunch bag. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty good, but I'd have to say it seemed like something that would have been 8 bucks last time I had Runza.

[Omaha Cowboy]

First off, I always did love their fries, and they came through on that. Hot, crisp, and salty. Secondly, I got the mushroom & Swiss burger. And one thing I have to say about the top three "local fast food burger joints", is although you can tell the meat quality is better, they seem to add a little too much salt. Idk if all they do is use salt for seasoning, but they all seem to be salty with not much pepper, onion, or garlic. So I guess in a way you could say they're pretty basic. Meat, cheese, LOTS of grease, and salt is all it takes to make a good burger.

That’s a pretty accurate and fair assessment of present day Runza. Their fries are usually always clutch..But their burgers can be hit and miss. A few posts back, we were talking about how when ordering their basic cheeseburger, sometimes the cheese isn’t melted on the burger. I’m not a fan of that. Their Runza sandwiches are usually pretty consistent- but there is that “1 time out of 4” you’ll get a Runza Sandwich that is so greasy, it actually falls apart while you’re attempting to eat it..

In the end, for me at least, eating anything from Runza was a better experience when I was a kid. Pretty common theme when talking about Fast Food (and most other things) these days…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Padre]

Has anyone ever ordered a breakfast sandwich at Jason’s Deli? My wife and I were in there today, and on a table they had a sheet that listed breakfast sandwiches, and prices. We asked at the counter, and the cashier said while they were mainly for catering, you could buy them to eat in the restaurant, any time they were open.

We didn’t get them as we’d already knew what we wanted, but I might in the future. The cashier said they didn’t sell many, which is not a surprise, since they barely advertise them!

[ChadJK]

The cashier said they didn’t sell many, which is not a surprise, since they barely advertise them!

You have to love when they have a "secret menu" and then remark they never sell the items. lol Uhh... Gee, I wonder why.

My current fav for breakfast sandwiches is to go through the drive-thru at the Summer Kitchen Café in La Vista and get a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Croissant. The bacon is plentiful, the eggs are fluffy, and the croissant is legit. It's a very tasty breakfast option and only takes maybe 5 minutes longer than getting a much lamer version of the same thing from one of the national chains.

If you're into biscuits, then I'll put a plug in for Hardees as they bake up some fairly large biscuits and their biscuit breakfast sandwiches are pretty tasty. I also dig their Biscuit & Gravy.

I do find the Breakfast Crunchwrap from Taco Bell intriguing, but I've never tried it.

I don't get drive thru breakfast very often, but when I do it's at Summer Kitchen Café or Hardees.

[Brad]

Gandolfo's has a bunch of Breakfast Sandwiches too. All better than most fast food places.

[Stan]

God, I love Hardees for all their food, but my arteries don't. Gandolfo's has some great sandwiches, but for their breakfast sandwiches, I haven't had one in years since the last time I did, the american cheese was just too much.

I'm a big fan of breakfast burritos so just getting a steak and egg from Abelardos is decent. I just miss the days of a few years back where they were roughly $6 instead of $10.

[ChadJK]

Gandolfo's has a bunch of Breakfast Sandwiches too. All better than most fast food places.

I didn't realize they even served breakfast. I'll make a mental note to try the place.

I'm a big fan of breakfast burritos so just getting a steak and egg from Abelardos is decent. I just miss the days of a few years back where they were roughly $6 instead of $10.

A lot of people love the breakfast burritos from the likes of Abelardo's/Lina's/DeLeon's, but they always just seemed too huge to me. I feel like I'd end up throwing half away.

[Stan]

Gandolfo's has a bunch of Breakfast Sandwiches too. All better than most fast food places.

I didn't realize they even served breakfast. I'll make a mental note to try the place.

I'm a big fan of breakfast burritos so just getting a steak and egg from Abelardos is decent. I just miss the days of a few years back where they were roughly $6 instead of $10.

I lot of people love the breakfast burritos from the likes of Abelardo's/Lina's/DeLeon's, but they always just seemed to huge to me. I feel like I'd end up throwing half away.

I would definitely skip lunch after having one of those for breakfast.

[Omaha Cowboy]

My current fav for breakfast sandwiches is to go through the drive-thru at the Summer Kitchen Café in La Vista and get a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Croissant. The bacon is plentiful, the eggs are fluffy, and the croissant is legit. It's a very tasty breakfast option and only takes maybe 5 minutes longer than getting a much lamer version of the same thing from one of the national chains.

I don't get drive thru breakfast very often, but when I do it's at Summer Kitchen Café or Hardees.

Summer kitchen Cafe is definitely the truth. We have a location close to my residence in the Sterling Ridge development. It’s always good and the portions are large. Same with Bailey’s on Pacific St. They don't have a drive through. But their food is solid good and the portions are large- Great bacon too…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Padre]

Gandolfo's has a bunch of Breakfast Sandwiches too. All better than most fast food places.

I like the Gandolfos breakfast sandwiches, and sometimes grab one when I’m down there. If they had a potato product of some kind that you could have with it, other than chips, I’d probably go more often.

[Uffda]

Omaha Runza and VP candidate Walz

[Omaha Cowboy]

Now if Runza could only figure out how to consistently melt their cheese slices onto their cheeseburgers…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[bbinks]

Not surprised. I haven’t been to that location for nearly a decade, but I work in that area and it never looks busy.

Omaha's BK as a whole are poorly operated. The one by my house off 99th and Blair may have 4 cars in the lot at lunch time on a Saturday. There was a discussion on the Facebook group Omaha eats Uncensored as to which location was the worst. What Michael Simmonds worked so hard to build has been taken down by the current franchisee.

[nebugeater]

There was a time when I preferred BK to McD if that was the choice. Not so anymore.

[damonhynes]

Was that the first Bourgeoisie King in Omaha? I remember eating there with my family the night of the Omaha tornado in 75.

[guy4omaha]

I don't know which was first of the two. But I remember the one on 90th North of Maple as being about the same vintage. In any event these two are the ones I first remember in Omaha.

[Busguy2010]

Couldn't have ever been a great location, what with being on the frontage road and not even directly on the corner. Then the Expressway. I'm surprised it held on that long.

As to which was the first? I'd be interested in finding that out for sure. I've been to BK far more than McDonald's in the last few years. I'd say BK had a bad period from maybe 2012 to 2020, where yeah, they sucked. But I've found recently they tend to be fairly well run.

[Omaha Cowboy]

When I was a little kid, around 1970, I remember my Mom taking us to the Burger King location off 90th and West Center Rd several times..

This was back when Burger King was putting relish on their burgers as a standard topping. It was actually pretty good..

I’d say that location on West Center was around before 114th and Dodge.. But by the time I was in HS in the late 1970’s, the 114th and Dodge Burger King location was the sight of many “turf battles” between Burke and Westside HS kids..Luckily, I was able to avoid most all of those melees…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[HskrFanMike]

Burger King has seemed to be run on auto-pilot the last ten years or so. As fast food competition has increased (with Sonic and Freddy's, for example), they've seemed to try and put in as little effort as they can to maximize their profit.

[jessep28]

Does anyone know if that crazy guy with the rocks still works at any of the Little King locations? The 114th and Dodge BK thread made me randomly think of him. He always worked the lunch rush when I was employed in that area years ago.

[Brad]

Does anyone know if that crazy guy with the rocks still works at any of the Little King locations? The 114th and Dodge BK thread made me randomly think of him. He always worked the lunch rush when I was employed in that area years ago.

Hi name was Geoff or Jeff. Last time I saw him, he was working at the Brugger's on 42nd & Dodge, but that's been several years now. His dad was actually the founder of Little King. I heard back in the day they had a Little King logo on the bottom of their pool over off 100th and Center.

[nebugeater]

Does anyone know if that crazy guy with the rocks still works at any of the Little King locations? The 114th and Dodge BK thread made me randomly think of him. He always worked the lunch rush when I was employed in that area years ago.

OK, I have to ask. What is the rocks reference?

[Brad]

Does anyone know if that crazy guy with the rocks still works at any of the Little King locations? The 114th and Dodge BK thread made me randomly think of him. He always worked the lunch rush when I was employed in that area years ago.

OK, I have to ask. What is the rocks reference?

He had rocks, crystals, and dragons sitting on the counter where you ordered. Quirky dude, but always helpful and seemed to have a positive attitude.

[nebugeater]

Does anyone know if that crazy guy with the rocks still works at any of the Little King locations? The 114th and Dodge BK thread made me randomly think of him. He always worked the lunch rush when I was employed in that area years ago.

OK, I have to ask. What is the rocks reference?

He had rocks, crystals, and dragons sitting on the counter where you ordered. Quirky dude, but always helpful and seemed to have a positive attitude.

New one to me. Thanks

[nativeomahan]

BK used to be decent as fast food chains went. I think they fell to just about the absolute bottom about a decade ago, and seem content to stay there.

[Brad]

I was just trying to think when the last new Burger King was built in the Omaha Metro area? I’m guessing it’s the Southport one, which was built about 15 years ago?

[GenX]

My opinion of BK is as follows:

Many of their stores feel like they have a layer of ketchup on the floor and every surface you just can’t quite get out.

The last time I went to the Irvington BK, their parking lot had more potholes than the entire city of Omaha had last winter.

At the same location, their employees do not give a fudge. They’re barely conscious, lazy, slow and rude. Complaints go unanswered.

A location in Sioux City will literally lock you inside the moment it hits 8 PM. You have to ask to be let out.

There was a time when I craved BK. Now it’s a last resort.

[Greg S]

Couldn't have ever been a great location, what with being on the frontage road and not even directly on the corner. Then the Expressway. I'm surprised it held on that long.

As to which was the first? I'd be interested in finding that out for sure. I've been to BK far more than McDonald's in the last few years. I'd say BK had a bad period from maybe 2012 to 2020, where yeah, they sucked. But I've found recently they tend to be fairly well run.

The location wasn't the issue. The McDonald's across the street is always busy.

BK's just aren't kept up like they used to be. BK needs to get franchisee's that will reinvest in their properties and hire solid managers and staff. Crazy how far they have fallen.

[Busguy2010]

The location wasn't the issue. The McDonald's across the street is always busy.

My point was that it wasn't directly on the corner. The McDonald's is. Very straight forward, you access from the frontage road or 114th.

The BK? Tucked back in behind the Jimmy John's, they have goofy access points, you take the wrong on and you have to meander through the parking lot to get to the end of the ridiculously long drive thru. I think the location and visibility made it never a popular one, because it wasn't the first parcel on the corner.

[Greg S]

The location wasn't the issue. The McDonald's across the street is always busy.

My point was that it wasn't directly on the corner. The McDonald's is. Very straight forward, you access from the frontage road or 114th.

The BK? Tucked back in behind the Jimmy John's, they have goofy access points, you take the wrong on and you have to meander through the parking lot to get to the end of the ridiculously long drive thru. I think the location and visibility made it never a popular one, because it wasn't the first parcel on the corner.

Yeah but it's been that way for 40+ years. If it was a major factor it would have been felt long ago. It always did fine. I've watched the one at 138th and Maple business drop significantly over the last 10 years as well. The two by my office in Bellevue look worse and worse every time I go. If BK doesn't step up their game, the one on Dodge won't be the last to close.

[guy4omaha]

It seems BK wants to be Sears/KMart.